ABSTRACT
For several decades the traditional energy audit, so familiar to engineers, served the energy efficiency industry quite well. Energy management plans were prepared, contracts for efficiency projects were written and work went ahead. Energy was saved and most often, clients and contractors were reasonably satisfied. Energy managers used audits to plan energy improvements within their facilities and to justify proposed funding for those improvements. Energy service companies used the audits to develop projects for clients. Because of the limitations of the basic audit, “risk cushions” were written into contracts to account for the uncertainties that seemed inevitable. As the energy efficiency industry matured, projects became more complex and risk analysis became more sophisticated, it became obvious that the need for information had grown beyond what regular audits produced. The content of a solid audit has been refined over the years to a rather standard, and useful, format that can provide comparisons from one project to another.
